Kiosked Releases Webshop Solution for Any Video


    Despite all the potential interactivity we could be seeing on the video files embedded across the web, they’re basically still just moving pictures that you can pause and mute. What’s keeping interactive video from getting bigger and faster? Essentially it comes down to a lack of business models and scalability, says Johanna Virttanen, Head of New Business Development at Kiosked.

    The Espoo-based company has just released their “shoppable videos” solution to the public, allowing brands, content producers, and publishers to put webshops into any video content – something they say is the first completely agnostic solution on the market.

    An image is fairly easy to make smarter, because it’s just a file. But with video, you have to be able to work with the countless number of players that are out there. Kiosked started their smart video content with their own homegrown player and then YouTube support, but realized that many brands and publishers rely on their own professional video solutions. “If we wanted this to scale, then we had to put this player on top of any player,” says Virttanen.

    The technology in the video solution is nearly the same to the image embedding solution; everything is location aware, which Virttanen says is important for video. An image is typically linked to a page of text, which is in only one language and is unlikely to be passed around too far, but videos are viral in nature, and can go worldwide in seconds. Take, for example Psy’s Gangnam Style if you need any reminder.

    With Kiosked’s solution, if a person watches it in China or the US, then they get information in their home language, and products will be in their home currency.

    For some time, it’s been easy to think of Kiosked as an image enriching platform. But the company seems to be in rapid evolution in the recent months, with the serious launch of their video platform, and with rumblings that they’re also working in the mobile space.

    The following video is making me want to buy some futuristic sports clothes, just in case I find myself in a Hunger Games type situation. Hell, the webshop is right there. Kiosked is making it easier to have zero self control with spending habits.